If you're genuinely unaware of the status-related implications of the way you phrased this comment, and/or of the fact that some people rate those kinds of implications negatively, let me know and I'll try to unpack them.
I understand that status-grabbing phrasing can explain why downvotes were in fact made, but object that they should be made for that reason here, on Less Wrong. If I turn out to be wrong, then sure. There could be other reasons beside that.
If you're simply objecting to them via rhetorical question, I've got nothing useful to add.
Likely this, but it's not completely clear to me what you mean.
If it matters, I haven't downvoted anyone on this thread, though I reserve the right to do so later.
Not as an affiliation signal, since the question is about properties of my comments, not of the people who judge them. But since you are not one of the downvoters, this says that you have less access to the reasons behind their actions than if you were one of them.
I am not one of the downvoters you are complaining about but the distinction is a temporal one, not one of differing judgement. I have since had the chance to add my downvote. That suggests my reasoning may have a slightly higher correlation at least. :)
...If you're genuinely unaware of the status-related implications of the way you phrased this comment, and/or of the fact that some people rate those kinds of implications negatively, let me know and I'll try to unpack them.
I understand that status-grabbing phrasing can explain why downvotes were in fact
Ideally, I'd like to save the world. One way to do that involves contributing academic research, which raises the question of what's the most effective way of doing that.
The traditional wisdom says if you want to do research, you should get a job in a university. But for the most part the system seems to be set up so that you first spend a long time working for someone else and research their ideas, after which you can lead your own group, but then most of your time will be spent on applying for grants and other administrative trivia rather than actually researching the interesting stuff. Also, in Finland at least, all professors need to also spend time doing teaching, so that's another time sink.
I suspect I would have more time to actually dedicate on research, and I could get doing it quicker, if I took a part-time job and did the research in my spare time. E.g. the recommended rates for a freelance journalist in Finland would allow me to spend a week each month doing work and three weeks doing research, of course assuming that I can pull off the freelance journalism part.
What (dis)advantages does this have compared to the traditional model?
Some advantages:
Some disadvantages:
EDIT: Note that while I certainly do appreciate comments specific to my situation, I posted this over at LW and not Discussion because I was hoping the discussion would also be useful for others who might be considering an academic path. So feel free to also provide commentary that's US-specific, say.